Display processing system, display processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

A display processing system ( 1 ) includes a display unit ( 208 ) that displays the occurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation of a server that provides the service, for a predetermined period of time, according to the level of the effect of failure on the service, and also displays the energy efficiency information of the server for the predetermined period of time so as to be associated with the failure occurrence status information.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a display processing system, a displayprocessing method, and a program, and in particular, to a displayprocessing system, a display processing method, and a program fordisplaying management information of a system.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, as computers are used for cloud services, increases inthe scales and the complexity of information technology (IT) equipmentor services in a data center or the like are accelerating. Under suchcircumstances, it has been important issues how to operate and managethe system efficiently and how to ensure the reliability.

An example of the system for integrated management of the servicesprovided is disclosed in Non-patent Document 1. In the system disclosedin Non-patent Document 1, abnormality information of current heataccumulation of a data center is displayed in a list or the like, and afloor map or the like showing the location of the occurrence of heataccumulation at the time of abnormalities is further displayed for amonitoring person. Accordingly, the monitoring person can check thelocation of the occurrence of heat accumulation on the floor map andtake measures against the heat accumulation quickly.

In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration to acquire andstore operating data including a power consumption of an air-conditionerand visualize the analyzed data. In addition, Patent Document 2discloses that, in a system for remotely managing air-conditioningequipment in real time, a function of remotely monitoringair-conditioning equipment is realized by managing the operating stateof a controlled air-conditioner in real time, and accordingly,air-conditioning cost is saved.

RELATED DOCUMENT Patent Document

-   [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    2008-157533-   [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    2009-169946

Non-Patent Document

-   [Non-patent Document 1] Hitachi, Ltd., “open middleware reports vol.    47”, p. 31, [online], February, 2009, [Searched for on Sep. 6,    2010], Internet,    <http://www.hitachi.co.jp/Prod/comp/soft1/omr/vol47/pdf/omr47.pdf>

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In the techniques disclosed in the above-described Documents, in orderto monitor the occurrence of heat accumulation or the like and takemeasures when an alarm goes off, a floor map of the heat accumulationoccurrence location or the like may be displayed, and the powerconsumption required for cooling may also be displayed. In thetechniques disclosed in the above-described Documents, however,displaying the relevance to the effect of a failure due to heataccumulation on the service in order to maintain the service levelprovided by the server, in which the heat accumulation has occurred, hasnot been performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-describedsituation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide adisplay processing system, a display processing method, and a program toimprove the reliability of service.

A display processing system of the present invention includes a displayunit that displays occurrence status information of a failure, which hasoccurred due to heat accumulation of a server that provides a service,for a predetermined period of time, according to a level of an effect ofthe failure on the service also displays energy efficiency informationof the server for the predetermined period of time so as to beassociated with the failure occurrence status information.

A display processing method of the present invention includesdisplaying, by a processing apparatus connected to a display device,occurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due toheat accumulation of a server that provides a service, for apredetermined period of time, on the display device according to a levelof an effect of the failure on the service and also displaying energyefficiency information of the server for the predetermined period oftime on the display device so as to be associated with the failureoccurrence status information.

A program of the present invention causes a computer connected to adisplay device to execute a procedure for displaying, on the displaydevice, occurrence status information of a failure, which has occurreddue to heat accumulation of a server that provides a service, for apredetermined period of time, according to a level of an effect of thefailure on the service and also displaying energy efficiency informationof the server for the predetermined period of time so as to beassociated with the failure occurrence status information.

In addition, any combination of the above-described constituent elementsand those obtained by converting the expression of the present inventioninto a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computerprogram, and the like are also effective as aspects of the presentinvention.

In addition, various constituent elements of the present invention donot necessarily need to be separate entities. For example, a pluralityof constituent elements may be formed as one member, one constituentelement may be formed by a plurality of members, a certain constituentelement may be a part of another constituent element, or a part of acertain constituent element and a part of another constituent elementmay overlap each other.

Moreover, although a plurality of procedures are described in order inthe method and the computer program of the present invention, thedescribed order does not limit the order in which the plurality ofprocedures is executed. Therefore, when executing the method and thecomputer program of the present invention, the order of the plurality ofprocedures may be changed in a range that does not interfere with thecontents.

In addition, the plurality of procedures of the method and the computerprogram of the present invention is not limited to being executed atdifferent timings. Therefore, for example, another procedure may occurduring the execution of a certain procedure, or some or all of theexecution timing of a certain procedure and the execution timing ofanother procedure may overlap each other.

According to the present invention, the display processing system, thedisplay processing method, and the program to improve the reliability ofservice are provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described object and other objects, features, and advantageswill become more apparent by preferred exemplary embodiments describedbelow and the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a displayprocessing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus of the display processing system accordingto the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of theconfiguration of a heat accumulation information acquisition unit of thedisplay processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a tablestored in a service table storage unit of the display processingapparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus of a display processing system according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus of a display processing system according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of thedisplay processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. In addition, the similarconstitutional elements are denoted by the similar reference numerals inall drawings, and explanation thereof will not be repeated.

First Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a displayprocessing system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

The display processing system 1 according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention presents the information indicating the managementsituation of a large number of IT equipments of a data center (DC) 5connected through a network 3, for example, information indicating themanagement situation of a large number of servers 7 or the service to anadministrator who manages the system of the data center 5.

In a facility where a large number of IT equipments are housed in a rackand a number of racks are arranged in a room, such as a data center 5,heat accumulation may occur due to the heat generated by the ITequipments. Against the heat accumulation, measures, such as coolingusing air-conditioning, are taken. The display processing system 1 ofthe present invention presents the information by which it is possibleto grasp at a glance whether or not the measures are properly taken.

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, it may be assumed thatthe operating rules are determined in advance between service users andservice providers according to the service level agreement (SLA) and thelike. This SLA is a system for a service provider, who provides theservice using the servers 7 of the data center 5, to guarantee thequality level of the service, which is provided to the service user, forthe service user. In addition, in the SLA, the guaranteed quality levelof service is set for various items according to the rank. For example,it is assumed that the maximum value of response time, the minimumcommunication speed, the upper limit of unavailable service time, andthe like are determined for each rank. In addition, explanation will begiven on the assumption that four ranks of S, A, B, and C are set indescending order of quality in the present exemplary embodiment.

In addition, in the display processing system 1 of the present exemplaryembodiment, it is preferable that supervisors, managers, or the likeamong administrators of the data center 5 can grasp at a glance not onlythe situation of the occurrence of a failure due to heat accumulationbut also whether or not the quality of service can be maintained whenthey view the screen.

The display processing system 1 has a computer 10 including a CPU 12, amemory 14, a storage device 16 such as a hard disk, and a communicationdevice (interface for network connections (“I/F” in the drawings) 18),for example. The CPU 12 is connected to each constitutional element ofthe computer 10 through a bus 20, and controls the entire computer 10 aswell as each constitutional element. The computer 10 of the displayprocessing system 1 may be realized by a server computer or a personalcomputer, which is connected to an input device 40 such as a keyboard ora mouse, a display device 30 such as a display, or an output device (notshown in the drawings) such as a printer, or apparatuses equivalent tothese. In addition, the CPU 12 may realize each function of each unitdescribed below by reading a program stored in the storage device 16into the memory 14 and executes it.

In addition, in each drawing, the configuration of units not relevant tothe essence of the present invention is omitted and is not shown.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus 100 realized by the computer 10 of thedisplay processing system 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment includes a display unit 114 that displays theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the servers 7(FIG. 1), which provides the service, for a predetermined period oftime, and the occurrence status information of a failure, which hasoccurred due to heat accumulation for the predetermined period of time,according to the level of the effect of the failure on the service.

In addition, each constitutional element of the display processingapparatus 100 is realized by any combination of hardware and software ofthe computer 10 including the CPU 12, the memory 14, a program forrealizing the constitutional elements in FIG. 1 which is loaded into thememory 14, the storage device 16 such as a hard disk which stores theprogram, and the interface for network connection 18, which have beendescribed with reference to FIG. 1. In addition, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various modifications of theimplementation method and the apparatus may be made. Each drawingdescribed below does not show the configuration of a hardware unit butshows a block of a functional unit.

The computer program of the present exemplary embodiment is described soas to cause the computer 10 (FIG. 1) for realizing the displayprocessing apparatus 100 to execute a procedure for displaying theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the servers 7(FIG. 1), which provides the service, for a predetermined period oftime, and the occurrence status information of a failure, which hasoccurred due to heat accumulation for the predetermined period of time,on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) according to the level of the effectof the failure on the service.

The computer program of the present exemplary embodiment may be recordedon a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium is notparticularly limited, and various forms of recording media may be used.In addition, a program may be loaded from the recording medium into thememory of the computer, or may be downloaded to the computer through thenetwork and be loaded into the memory.

Specifically, the display processing apparatus 100 includes a heataccumulation information acquisition unit 102, a failure informationacquisition unit 104, a service table storage unit (indicated as a“service table” in the drawings) 106, a determination unit 108, acounting unit 110, an identification unit 112, and the display unit 114.

The heat accumulation information acquisition unit 102 acquires theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the servers 7(FIG. 1), which provides the service, through the network 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat accumulation information acquisition unit102 may further include a detection unit 120, a temperature sensorarrangement table storage unit (indicated as a “temperature sensorarrangement table” in the drawings) 122, and a specification unit 124.

The detection unit 120 receives the temperature information measured bytemperature sensors (not shown in the drawings), which are arrangedaround the servers 7 that provides the service from a management device(not shown in the drawings) of the data center 5 (FIG. 1) through thenetwork 3, and detects the occurrence of heat accumulation on the basisof the received temperature information. The detection unit 120 detectsthe occurrence of heat accumulation on the basis of the position and theperiod when the temperature information of the temperature sensor isequal to or more than a threshold value set in advance.

The temperature sensor arrangement table storage unit 122 stores acorrespondence table of the arrangement of the servers 7 and thetemperature sensors. The temperature sensor arrangement table storageunit 122 is included in the memory 14 or the storage device 16. Thespecification unit 124 specifies at least one server 7, in which thedetected heat accumulation has occurred, with reference to thetemperature sensor arrangement table storage unit 122, and outputs theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the specifiedserver 7.

In addition, the heat accumulation occurrence status information in theabove configuration may be generated by the management device of thedata center 5 and be transmitted to the display processing apparatus100.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the failure information acquisition unit 104acquires the occurrence status information of a failure, which hasoccurred in the service or the server 7 (FIG. 1), from the data center 5through the network 3.

The heat accumulation occurrence status information or the failureoccurrence status information collected from the server 7 may be storedin the memory 14 or the storage device 16 periodically or whennecessary. In addition, the heat accumulation information acquisitionunit 102 and the failure information acquisition unit 104 of the displayprocessing apparatus 100 may use the values stored in the memory 14 orthe storage device 16. Alternatively, the display processing apparatus100 may also read and acquire each item of target information of acomputer, which is collected from each server 7 or management device,from a recording medium in which the information of a fixed period isrecorded in advance. Thus, each item of information may be acquired at avariety of timing using various methods.

The service table storage unit 106 stores a server table whichassociates the services provided by the servers 7 with the SLA ranks.The service table storage unit 106 is included in the memory 14 or thestorage device 16. In addition, the server table may include two tablesof a correspondence table between the server 7 and the service and acorrespondence table between the service and the SLA rank. Varioustables stored in the service table storage unit 106 may be checked andchanged by the operator from a setting screen (not shown in thedrawings).

In the present exemplary embodiment, the service table storage unit 106stores a failure level table 150 shown in FIG. 6( a) and a server ranktable 152 shown in FIG. 6(b). In the server rank table 152, the SLA rankset in advance is stored so as to be associated with each server 7 ofthe data center 5. In addition, the service provided by the server 7 maybe often changed by resource allocation. If the service provided by theserver 7 is changed, the server rank table 152 is rewritten whennecessary.

In the failure level table 150, a reference value set for eachmonitoring item is stored for each SLA rank. Examples of the monitoringitem include response time, minimum communication speed, and an upperlimit of unavailable time. For each monitoring item of each rank, twodifferent threshold values, for example, first and second thresholdvalues as1 and as2 are set as reference values. Here, the firstthreshold as1 may be set as a value which violates the SLA, for example.In addition, the second threshold as2 may be set as a reference valuefor warning before the violation of the SLA, for example. In thisexample, two threshold values are set for each monitoring item of eachrank. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Althoughthe number of threshold values may be 1 or more, it is preferable thatthe number of threshold values be 2 or more.

The identification unit 112 identifies and classifies the countedfailure occurrence status information for the predetermined period oftime on the basis of different criteria (threshold values) according tothe level (violation of the SLA and warning) of the effect of thefailure on the service which is set for each quality assurance level(SLA rank) of the service.

By preparing a plurality of different threshold values for each rank asdescribed above, the effect on the quality of service demanded at thelevel changing with a rank may be monitored at a plurality of levels. Inthe present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to specify the SLA rankof the service provided by the server 7 in which a failure has occurredand to identify the level of the effect of the failure with the criteria(threshold values) corresponding to the rank.

In addition, one reference value (first threshold value) may be set foreach rank for a certain monitoring item, and the value for calculatinganother reference value (second threshold value) to give warning may beset in common for ranks. Alternatively, one reference value (firstthreshold value) may be set in common for ranks for a certain monitoringitem, and the value for calculating another reference value (secondthreshold value) to give warning may be set for each rank. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, since the first threshold is a value setin advance for each rank by the SLA, it is desirable to adopt a valuespecified by the SLA. On the other hand, an administrator mayarbitrarily set threshold values other than the first threshold value.The display processing apparatus 100 of the present exemplary embodimentmay provide a user interface for operation reception, such as a settingscreen (not shown in the drawings). These values may be set in advanceor may be set or changed when necessary through the setting screenoperated by the operator.

The determination unit 108 determines that failures in the server 7 andthe service have occurred due to heat accumulation when the server 7 inwhich heat accumulation has occurred, of which information has beenacquired by the heat accumulation information acquisition unit 102,matches the server 7 in which a failure has occurred, of whichinformation has been acquired by the failure information acquisitionunit 104. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, a failure dueto heat accumulation may be detected by the management device (not shownin the drawings) of the server 7 in the data center 5. In addition, thedisplay processing apparatus 100 may acquire the information of afailure, which occurs due to heat accumulation of the server 7, from themanagement device.

The counting unit 110 counts the acquired occurrence status informationof heat accumulation of the server 7 and the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which is determined to have occurred due toheat accumulation, for the predetermined period of time. In the presentexemplary embodiment, the counting unit 110 counts the number ofoccurrences of heat accumulation within the predetermined period oftime.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the predetermined period of timefor which counting is performed may be designated in advance by theoperator or may be changed when necessary by the operator, and at leastone designated period of a day, a week, a month, three months, sixmonths, a year, two or more years, and any designated period may be set,for example. This predetermined period of time may be selected inadvance or may be selected when necessary through a setting screen (notshown in the drawings) operated by the operator.

In addition, the definition of the number of occurrences of heataccumulation may also be designated in advance by the operator. Variousdesignation methods may be considered as illustrated below.

(1) Heat accumulation which has occurred at the same location forseveral days is counted as one case or counted as the number of days.

(2) Heat accumulation when the magnitude of heat accumulation is largeand a plurality of servers 7 are associated with the heat accumulationis counted as one case, or counted as the number of associated servers7, or counted for each associated server.

It is assumed that the above may be designated separately andarbitrarily.

The identification unit 112 specifies the SLA rank of the serviceprovided by the server 7, which is determined that the failure hasoccurred, on the basis of the server rank table 152 with reference tothe service table storage unit 106. In addition, the identification unit112 identifies the level of the effect of the failure on the servicefrom the reference value of the specified rank on the basis of thefailure level table 150, and performs classification regarding whetherthe identified level is a warning level or an SLA violation level, forexample. Here, the effect level may be divided into determinationresults based on the first and second threshold values set for eachmonitoring item described above.

For example, when the response time exceeds the second threshold valuein the failure occurrence status information, the level of the effect onthe service is classified into the warning level. When the response timeexceeds the first threshold value, the level of the effect on theservice is classified into the SLA violation level.

The display unit 114 displays the counted heat accumulation occurrencestatus information for the predetermined period of time and theoccurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due toheat accumulation for the predetermined period of time, on the displaydevice 30 (FIG. 1) according to the level of the effect on the serviceclassified by the identification unit 112.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 130 of the displayprocessing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the screen 130, which is displayed on the displaydevice 30 (FIG. 1) by the display unit 114 (FIG. 2), includes a displayportion of the number of occurrences of heat accumulation 132, a displayportion of the number of occurrences of warning 134, and a displayportion of the number of occurrences of SLA violation 136. In addition,a period selection list 142 may be provided on the screen 130. Using theperiod selection list 142, an operation to select the counting period ofthe number of occurrences displayed in the display portion of the numberof occurrences of heat accumulation 132, the display portion of thenumber of occurrences of warning 134, and the display portion of thenumber of occurrences of SLA violation 136 may be received. The countingperiod may be selected from predetermined periods of time as describedabove. In FIG. 3, the counting result of the past one month isdisplayed.

In addition, although a configuration of displaying only the recenthistory is adopted in the present exemplary embodiment, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The past may also be referred to. Inthe present invention, however, it is not an object to investigate thecause and the like of a failure that has occurred by viewing the screen130, but it is preferable to display at least the current situation.This is because, in the present invention, priorities are given to beingable to recognize that there is no effect of a failure on the quality ofthe service, being able to recognize the effect quickly when there is aneffect on the quality, being able to recognize how much the quality hasbeen affected, and being able to recognize the degree of seriousness.

The number of occurrences of heat accumulation counted for apredetermined period of time selected from the period selection list 142by the counting unit 110 is displayed in the display portion of thenumber of occurrences of heat accumulation 132. The number ofoccurrences of warning counted for a predetermined period of timeselected from the period selection list 142 by the counting unit 110 isdisplayed in the display portion of the number of occurrences of warning134. The number of occurrences of SLA violation counted for apredetermined period of time selected from the period selection list 142by the counting unit 110 is displayed in the display portion of thenumber of occurrences of SLA violation 136.

In addition, on the screen 130, when the number of occurrences of SLAviolation is equal to or more than a predetermined number of occurrences(in the present exemplary embodiment, 1), highlighting 138 of thedisplay portion of the number of occurrences is performed, and an icon140 for notifying the administrator that the SLA violation has occurredis displayed near the display portion of the number of occurrences ofSLA violation 136. As examples of the highlighting 138, various methods,such as changing the color to red, making the character thick, makingthe character blink, and changing the background color for highlighting,may be considered. In the present exemplary embodiment, for example, ared circle having an x mark drawn therein is used as the icon 140.However, the icon 140 is not limited thereto. For example, the color ofthe icon 140 may be yellow, and the shape of the icon 140 may be othershapes. The image in the icon 140 may be other characters or symbols,such as “NG”, or may be other images. It is preferable to use an imageby which an operator can recognize the occurrence of SLA violationvisually intuitively at a glance.

Through the display of the icon 140 or the highlighting 138, theadministrator who sees the screen 130 can easily recognize warning, suchas the occurrence of SLA violation, visually intuitively. Although notshown in FIG. 3, similarly for the display portion of the number ofoccurrences of heat accumulation 132 or the display portion of thenumber of occurrences of warning 134, the warning can be easilyrecognized visually intuitively by highlighting the display portion ofthe number of occurrences or displaying the icon near the displayportion of the number of occurrences when the number of occurrences ofheat accumulation or the number of occurrences of warning is equal to ormore than a predetermined number of occurrences. The predeterminednumber of occurrences for highlighting or icon display may be set inadvance or may be set and changed when necessary through a settingscreen (not shown in the drawings) operated by the operator.

The operation of the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment configured in this manner will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.Hereinafter, the flowchart will be described with reference to FIGS. 1to 6.

In the display processing method of the present exemplary embodiment,the occurrence status information of heat accumulation of the server 7(FIG. 1), which provides the service, for a predetermined period oftime, and the occurrence status information of a failure, which hasoccurred due to heat accumulation for the predetermined period of time,are displayed on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) according to the levelof the effect of the failure on the service (step S113 in FIG. 5).

Specifically, in the display processing system 1 (FIG. 2) of the presentexemplary embodiment, first, the heat accumulation informationacquisition unit 102 (FIG. 2) of the display processing apparatus 100acquires the occurrence status information of heat accumulation of theserver 7, which provides the service, through the network 3 (FIG. 2)(step S101). Then, the failure information acquisition unit 104 (FIG. 2)of the display processing apparatus 100 acquires the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred in the service or theserver 7, from the data center 5 (FIG. 1) through the network 3 (stepS103).

Then, the determination unit 108 (FIG. 2) of the display processingapparatus 100 determines whether or not the server 7 in which the heataccumulation has occurred, of which information has been acquired by theheat accumulation information acquisition unit 102, matches the server 7in which the failure has occurred, of which information has beenacquired by the failure information acquisition unit 104 (step S105).When the server 7 in which the heat accumulation has occurred matchesthe server 7 in which the failure has occurred (YES in step S105), it isdetermined that the failures in the server 7 and the service haveoccurred due to heat accumulation (step S107), and the process proceedsto step S109. When the server 7 in which the heat accumulation hasoccurred does not match the server 7 in which the failure has occurred(NO in step S105), step S107 is skipped and the process proceeds to stepS109 since the failures have not occurred due to heat accumulation.

Then, the counting unit 110 (FIG. 2) of the display processing apparatus100 counts the acquired occurrence status information of heataccumulation of the server 7 and the occurrence status information ofthe failure, which is determined to have occurred due to the heataccumulation, for the predetermined period of time (step S109).

In addition, although the process of steps S101 to S107 may beconstantly and repeatedly executed at predetermined periods of time andstep S109 may be executed in every period, the explanation of therepeated process will not be repeated in this drawing.

Then, the identification unit 112 (FIG. 2) of the display processingapparatus 100 specifies the SLA rank of the service provided by theserver 7, which has been determined that the failure occurred, on thebasis of the server rank table 152 (FIG. 6( b)) with reference to theservice table storage unit 106 (FIG. 2) of the display processingapparatus 100. Then, the identification unit 112 of the displayprocessing apparatus 100 identifies the level of the effect of thefailure on the service from the reference value of the specified rank onthe basis of the failure level table 150 (FIG. 6( a)), and performsclassification regarding whether the identified level is a warning levelor an SLA violation level, for example (step S111).

Then, the display unit 114 (FIG. 2) of the display processing apparatus100 displays the counted heat accumulation occurrence status informationfor the predetermined period of time and the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulationfor the predetermined period of time, according to the level of theeffect on the service classified by the identification unit 112 of thedisplay processing apparatus 100 (step S113).

As described above, the number of occurrences of heat accumulation thathave occurred in a month, the number of occurrences of warning that hasoccurred due to heat accumulation, and the number of occurrences of SLAviolation are displayed on the screen 130 in FIG. 3. Here, it can begrasped at a glance, through the icon 140 and the highlighting 138, thatSLA violation has occurred due to failure caused by heat accumulation.

It should be noted that, as described above, the counting process ofstep S109 does not necessarily need to be performed at predeterminedperiods of time. The counting process of step S109 may be performed atthe timing when the counted value in each predetermined period of timecan be calculated. In addition, the display update process of step S113may be performed only when the operator gives an instruction to displaythe screen 130 with an operation button (not shown in the drawings) orthe like. In addition, in a state where the screen 130 is displayed bythe display unit 114, when the information to be displayed in thedisplay portion of the number of occurrences of heat accumulation 132,the display portion of the number of occurrences of warning 134, and thedisplay portion of the number of occurrences of SLA violation 136 haschanged, especially, when warning or SLA violation occurs, it ispreferable to update the display immediately. Here, whether to set thedisplay update as automatic update or manual update using an operationbutton (not shown in the drawings) or the like, an automatic updateperiod, and the like may be set in advance or may be set and changedwhen necessary through a setting screen (not shown in the drawings)operated by the operator.

As described above, according to the display processing system 1 of thepresent exemplary embodiment, a situation of the occurrence of a failuredue to heat accumulation for a predetermined period of time and thelevel of the effect on the service can be visualized so as to beassociated with each other.

It is undoubtedly essential to detect heat accumulation and takemeasures against it. In order to do so, it is necessary to check thedetailed failure information. In the display processing system 1 of thepresent invention, however, the purpose is to know schematically howmuch the occurrence of heat accumulation has influenced the serviceprovided rather than presenting detailed information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to presenteasy-to-understand information regarding maintaining the quality of theservice by presenting the heat accumulation occurrence situation for apredetermined period of time, the number of occurrences of failureresulting therefrom, and the level of the effect on the quality ofservice. In addition, according to the present invention, the situationmaintaining the quality of service provided can be easily grasped.Therefore, when a problem occurs, it is possible to be quickly aware ofthe problem and take measures against the problem. As a result, thereliability of service is improved.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus 200 realized by the computer of the displayprocessing system 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. The display processing system 1 of the present exemplaryembodiment is different from the display processing system of theabove-described exemplary embodiment in that not only the effect of heataccumulation on the service but also energy efficiency are displayed.

In a facility where a number of IT equipment is housed in a rack and anumber of racks are arranged in a room, such as the data center 5 (FIG.1), heat accumulation may occur due to the heat generated by the ITequipment. To prevent the heat accumulation, measures, such as coolingusing air-conditioning, are taken. The display processing system 1 ofthe present exemplary embodiment presents information by which it ispossible to grasp at a glance whether or not the measures are properlyperformed.

In addition, there is usually no person on the floor where IT equipmentis installed. Accordingly, even if the floor becomes wastefully coolfrom air-conditioning, it may not be noticed by anybody. Supercooling isnot desirable from the environmental perspective. The display processingsystem 1 of the present invention presents the information by which itis possible to grasp at a glance whether or not the electrical power isconsumed wastefully.

In addition, the display processing system 1 of the present exemplaryembodiment presents the information, by which the stability of servicecan also be grasped at a glance when viewed together with theabove-described information, so that the situation of the occurrence ofa failure due to heat accumulation does not have an adverse effect onthe quality of the service provided.

In particular, in the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment, it is preferable that supervisors, managers, orthe like among administrators of the data center 5 can grasp theabove-described information at a glance when they view the screen.

The display processing apparatus 200 of the present exemplary embodimentincludes a display unit 208 that displays the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation ofthe server 7 (FIG. 1) that provides the service, for a predeterminedperiod of time, according to the level of the effect of the failure onthe service, and also displays the energy efficiency information of theserver 7 for the predetermined period of time so as to be associatedwith the failure occurrence status information.

In addition, each constitutional element of the display processingapparatus 200 is realized by any combination of hardware and software ofthe computer 10 including the CPU 12, the memory 14, a program forrealizing the constitutional elements in FIG. 1 which is loaded into thememory 14, the storage device 16 such as a hard disk which stores theprogram, and the interface for network connection 18, which have beendescribed with reference to FIG. 1. In addition, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various modifications of theimplementation method and the apparatus may be made. Each drawingdescribed below does not show the configuration of a hardware unit butshows a block of a functional unit.

The computer program of the present exemplary embodiment is described soas to cause the computer 10 (FIG. 1) for realizing the displayprocessing apparatus 200 to execute a procedure for displaying theoccurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due toheat accumulation of the server 7 that provides the service, for apredetermined period of time, on the display device 30 (FIG. 1)according to the level of the effect of the failure on the service andalso displaying the energy efficiency information of the server 7 forthe predetermined period of time on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) so asto be associated with the failure occurrence status information.

The computer program of the present exemplary embodiment may be recordedon a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium is notparticularly limited, and various forms of recording media may be used.In addition, a program may be loaded from the recording medium into thememory of the computer, or may be downloaded to the computer through thenetwork and be loaded into the memory.

Specifically, the display processing apparatus 200 of the presentexemplary embodiment includes a temperature acquisition unit 202, acalculation unit 204, a counting unit 206, and a display unit 208. Inaddition, in the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that theoccurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due toheat accumulation of the server 7 that provides the service, for apredetermined period of time, described in the display processingapparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 is acquired from other apparatuses throughthe network 3. A specific example of the configuration obtained bycombining the configuration of the display processing apparatus 100 inFIG. 2 to calculate the occurrence status information of a failure,which has occurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7 thatprovides the service, for a predetermined period of time, and theconfiguration of the display processing apparatus 200 of the presentexemplary embodiment will be described in detail in an exemplaryembodiment to be described later.

The temperature acquisition unit 202 acquires the temperatureinformation measured by temperature sensors (not shown in the drawings),which are arranged around the servers 7, through the network 3.

The calculation unit 204 calculates the energy efficiency information ofthe server 7 for the predetermined period of time on the basis of thetemperature information acquired by the temperature acquisition unit202.

Specifically, the calculation unit 204 calculates the total time ofsupercooling for which the temperature acquired by the temperatureacquisition unit 202 is equal to or lower than a predeterminedtemperature in a predetermined period of time. The predeterminedtemperature is a temperature that can be recognized as supercooling interms of system operation, and may be set in advance or may be set andchanged when necessary through a setting screen (not shown in thedrawings) operated by the operator.

The calculation unit 204 may further include a power consumptionacquisition section (not shown in the drawings) that acquires powerconsumption (kwh) of the server 7 through the network 3. In addition,the calculation unit 204 may calculate the sum of power consumption(kwh) of the server 7, which is acquired by the power consumptionacquisition section, for a predetermined period of time. In addition,electric bill for one month may be acquired through the network 3instead of power consumption acquired by the power consumptionacquisition section, and this may be counted as the electric bill (Yen)for a predetermined period of time.

In addition, the calculation unit 204 calculates an increasing ordecreasing tendency in the total power consumption for a predeterminedperiod of time calculated as described above. Specifically, thecalculation unit 204 calculates an average ratio, such as a change rate(%) or a difference (kwh) between the average value of the sum of thepower consumption of a past fixed period and the sum of the powerconsumption for a predetermined period of time, for example. Thecalculated average ratio may be a difference or the amount of changewith respect to the standard value set in advance on the basis of thepast power consumption.

The counting unit 206 acquires the occurrence status information of afailure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7that provides the service, for a predetermined period of time, throughthe network 3 and counts it.

The display unit 208 displays the occurrence status information of afailure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7that provides the service, for a predetermined period of time, countedby the counting unit 206 according to the level of the effect of thefailure on the service, and also displays the calculated energyefficiency information of the server 7 for the predetermined period oftime on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) so as to be associated with thefailure occurrence status information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 230 of the displayprocessing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the screen 230, which is displayed on the displaydevice 30 (FIG. 1) by the display unit 208 (FIG. 7), further includes asupercooling information display column 230 a in addition to a heataccumulation failure information display column 130 a to display theheat accumulation occurrence status information, which is the same asthat of the screen 130 shown in FIG. 3 in the above-described exemplaryembodiment.

In the same manner as in FIG. 3, the period selection list 142 may beprovided on the screen 230. Using the period selection list 142, anoperation to select the counting period of the number of occurrencesdisplayed in each display portion may be received. The counting periodmay be selected from predetermined periods of time as described above.In FIG. 8, the counting result of the past one month is displayed.

It should be noted that, although a configuration of displaying only therecent history is adopted in the present exemplary embodiment, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. The past may also be referredto. In the present invention, however, it is not a prioritized object toinvestigate the cause and the like of a failure that has occurred byviewing the screen 230, but it is preferable to display at least thecurrent status. This is because, in the present invention, prioritiesare given to being able to recognize that there is no effect of afailure on the quality of the service or recognize that supercooling hasnot occurred, being able to recognize supercooling quickly or recognizequickly that there is an effect on the quality, being able to recognizehow much the quality has been affected, and being able to recognize thedegree of seriousness or the amount of energy uselessly consumed.

Total time of supercooling for which the temperature acquired by thetemperature acquisition unit 202 (FIG. 7), which has been counted for apredetermined period of time selected from the period selection list 142by the calculation unit 204 (FIG. 7), is equal to or lower than apredetermined temperature is displayed in a supercooling period displayportion 232.

The sum of power consumption (kwh) of the server 7 (FIG. 1), which hasbeen counted for a predetermined period of time selected from the periodselection list 142 by the calculation unit 204, is displayed in a powerconsumption display portion 234.

The average ratio of the sum of power consumption, which has beencounted for a predetermined period of time selected from the periodselection list 142 by the calculation unit 204, is displayed in anaverage ratio display portion 236.

For example, on the screen 230, when the average ratio tends to increaseby a predetermined value (in the present exemplary embodiment, 20%) ormore, highlighting 238 of an average ratio display portion is performed,and an icon 240 for notifying the administrator that the average ratiotends to increase is displayed near an average ratio display portion236. As examples of the highlighting 238, various methods, such aschanging the color to red, making the character thick, making thecharacter blink, and changing the background color for highlighting, maybe considered. In the present exemplary embodiment, for example, anupward red arrow is used as the icon 240. However, the icon 240 is notlimited thereto. For example, the icon 240 may be other characters orsymbols indicating an undesirable trend, such as “X (cross mark)” or“NG”, or may be other images. It is preferable to use an icon by whichan operator can recognize an increasing tendency of the average ratiovisually intuitively.

In addition, when the average ratio tends to decrease, it is possible todisplay the icon 240 of a downward green arrow, other characters orsymbols indicating a good trend without a problem, such as “O (circle)”or “OK”, of other images. It is preferable to use an icon by which anoperator can recognize a decreasing tendency of the average ratiovisually intuitively. Alternatively, when there is no change in theaverage ratio, that is, when the average ratio is the same level as thestandard value, it is possible to display the icon 240 of a horizontalgreen arrow, other characters or symbols indicating a good trend withouta problem, such as “O (circle)” or “OK”, of other images. It ispreferable to use an icon by which an operator can recognize visuallyintuitively that the average ratio is the same level as the standardvalue.

Through the display of the icon 240 or the highlighting 238, theadministrator who sees the screen 230 can easily recognize a state, suchas an increasing tendency of power consumption due to supercooling,visually intuitively.

In addition, in the display processing system 1 of the present exemplaryembodiment, the display processing apparatus 200 may further include adetermination unit (not shown in the drawings) that determines whetheror not the difference or the change rate calculated by the calculationunit 204 is within the allowable range with respect to the standardvalue and a determination notification unit (screen 230 in FIG. 8) thatnotifies a user of the determination result of the determination unit.

Although not shown in FIG. 8, for example, in the same manner as theaverage ratio display portion 236, a numerical display portion may behighlighted or an icon may be displayed near the numerical displayportion when the value of the supercooling period display portion 232 isoutside the allowable range with respect to the standard value, forexample, when the value of the supercooling period display portion 232is equal to or more than a predetermined time, or when the value of thepower consumption display portion 234 is outside the allowable rangewith respect to the standard value, for example, when the value of thepower consumption display portion 234 is equal to or more than thepredetermined amount of power consumption. In this manner, it ispossible to easily recognize the state visually intuitively. Theallowable range for highlighting or icon display may be set in advanceor may be set and changed when necessary through a setting screen (notshown in the drawings) operated by the operator.

The operation of the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment configured in this manner will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.Hereinafter, the flowchart will be described with reference to FIGS. 1and 7 to 9.

In a display processing method of the present exemplary embodiment, thedisplay processing apparatus 200 (FIG. 7) displays the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation ofthe server 7 (FIG. 1) that provides the service, for a predeterminedperiod of time, on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) according to the levelof the effect of the failure on the service, and also displays theenergy efficiency information of the server 7 for the predeterminedperiod of time on the display device 30 (FIG. 1) so as to be associatedwith the failure occurrence status information (step S207).

Specifically, in the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment, first, the temperature acquisition unit 202 (FIG.7) of the display processing apparatus 200 acquires the temperatureinformation measured by temperature sensors (not shown in the drawings),which are arranged around the servers 7 (FIG. 1), through the network 3(FIG. 1) (step S201).

Then, the calculation unit 204 (FIG. 7) of the display processingapparatus 200 calculates the energy efficiency information of the server7 for the predetermined period of time on the basis of the temperatureinformation acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 202 (stepS203).

Then, the counting unit 206 (FIG. 7) of the display processing apparatus200 acquires and counts the occurrence status information of a failure,which has occurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7 thatprovides the service, for the predetermined period of time, through thenetwork (step S205).

Then, the display unit 208 (FIG. 7) of the display processing apparatus200 displays the occurrence status information of the failure, which hasoccurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7 that provides theservice and which is counted by the counting unit 206 for thepredetermined period of time, according to the level of the effect ofthe failure on the service, and also displays the calculated energyefficiency information of the server 7 for the predetermined period oftime so as to be associated with the failure occurrence statusinformation (step S207).

Not only the number of occurrences of heat accumulation in this onemonth, the number of occurrences of warning due to heat accumulation inthis one month, and the number of occurrences of SLA violation in thisone month but also the total time for which the temperature is equal toor lower than the specified temperature (for example, 17° C.) due tosupercooling in this one month, power consumption in this one month, andthe value of an increase or decrease in power consumption when comparedwith the standard value in this one month are displayed on the screen230 shown in FIG. 8. Here, it can be grasped at a glance, through theicon 140 and the highlighting 138, that SLA violation has occurred dueto failure caused by heat accumulation and, through the icon 240 and thehighlighting 238, that the power consumption has increased by 30% fromthe standard value due to supercooling.

In addition, in this flow chart, the process of steps S201 and S203 maybe constantly executed repeatedly at predetermined periods of time. StepS205 does not necessarily need to be executed every predetermined periodof time, and may be performed at the timing when the counted value ineach predetermined period of time can be calculated.

In addition, the display update process of step S207 may be performedonly when the operator gives an instruction to display the screen 230with an operation button (not shown in the drawings) or the like. Inaddition, in a state where the screen 230 in FIG. 8 is displayed by thedisplay unit 208 (FIG. 7), when the information to be displayed in thedisplay portion of the number of occurrences of heat accumulation 132,and the display portion of the number of occurrences of warning 134, thedisplay portion of the number of occurrences of SLA violation 136 haschanged, especially, when warning or SLA violation occurs, it ispreferable to update the display immediately. Here, whether to set thedisplay update as automatic update or manual update using an operationbutton (not shown in the drawings) or the like, an automatic updateperiod, and the like may be set in advance or may be set and changedwhen necessary through a setting screen (not shown in the drawings)operated by the operator.

As described above, according to the display processing system 1 of thepresent exemplary embodiment, the same effects as in the above-describedexemplary embodiment are obtained, and the relationship between theeffect of heat accumulation on the service and energy efficiency can bevisualized. As a result, the reliability of service is improved.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of adisplay processing apparatus 300 realized by the computer of the displayprocessing system 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. The display processing apparatus 300 of the displayprocessing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment has a functionrealized by combining the display processing apparatuses of the displayprocessing system 1 of the above-described exemplary embodiments shownin FIGS. 2, 4, and 7. The display processing apparatus 300 of thedisplay processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodimentcalculates the occurrence status information of heat accumulation of aserver, the occurrence status information of a failure due to heataccumulation, and energy efficiency, and presents such information andthe effect of heat accumulation on the service so as to be associatedwith each other.

Specifically, the display processing apparatus 300 of the displayprocessing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment includes thefailure information acquisition unit 104, the service table storage unit106, the determination unit 108, the counting unit 110 and theidentification unit 112 that are the same as in the display processingapparatus 100 of the above-described exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.2, the same temperature sensor arrangement table storage unit 122 as inFIG. 4, and the temperature acquisition unit 202 and the calculationunit 204 that are the same as in the display processing apparatus 200 ofthe above-described exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and alsofurther includes a detection unit 302, a specification unit 304, and adisplay unit 308.

The detection unit 302 detects the occurrence of heat accumulation onthe basis of the temperature information acquired by the temperatureacquisition unit 202. The detection unit 302 detects the occurrence ofheat accumulation on the basis of the position and the period when thetemperature information of the temperature sensor is equal to or morethan a threshold value set in advance.

The specification unit 304 specifies at least one server 7 (FIG. 1), inwhich the detected heat accumulation has occurred, with reference to thetemperature sensor arrangement table storage unit 122, and outputs theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the specifiedserver 7.

The display unit 308 displays the occurrence status information of afailure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation of the server 7that provides the service, for a predetermined period of time, countedby the counting unit 110 according to the level of the effect of thefailure on the service, and also displays the energy efficiencyinformation of the server for the predetermined period of time, whichhas been calculated by the calculation unit 204, so as to be associatedwith the failure occurrence status information. The display unit 308displays the above-described screen 230, which is shown in FIG. 8, onthe display device 30 (FIG. 1).

The operation of the display processing system 1 of the presentexemplary embodiment configured in this manner will be described below.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thedisplay processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.Hereinafter, the flowchart will be described with reference to FIGS. 1and 6 to 11.

Note that, although not limited to this, it is assumed that the displayprocessing apparatus 300 of the present exemplary embodiment performsthe process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 after performing theprocess of the same steps S201 to S207 as in the flow chart shown inFIG. 9 in the display processing apparatus 200 of the above-describedexemplary embodiment. Here, explanation of the process of the flow chartshown in FIG. 9 will not be repeated.

The detection unit 302 of the display processing apparatus 300 detectsthe occurrence of heat accumulation on the basis of the temperatureinformation that the temperature acquisition unit 202 (FIG. 10) of thedisplay processing apparatus 300 has acquired from the management device(not shown in the drawings) of the data center 5 (FIG. 1) through thenetwork 3 (FIG. 10) (step S301).

Then, the specification unit 304 (FIG. 10) of the display processingapparatus 300 specifies at least one server 7 (FIG. 1), in which thedetected heat accumulation has occurred, with reference to thetemperature sensor arrangement table storage unit 122, and outputs theoccurrence status information of heat accumulation of the specifiedserver 7 (step S303).

Then, the failure information acquisition unit 104 (FIG. 10) of thedisplay processing apparatus 300 acquires the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred in the service or theserver 7 (FIG. 1), from the data center 5 (FIG. 1) through the network 3(step S304).

Then, the determination unit 108 (FIG. 10) of the display processingapparatus 300 determines whether or not the server 7 in which the heataccumulation has occurred, which has been specified by the specificationunit 304, matches the server 7 in which the failure has occurred, ofwhich information has been acquired by the failure informationacquisition unit 104 (step S305). When the server 7 in which the heataccumulation has occurred matches the server 7 in which the failure hasoccurred (YES in step S305), it is determined that the failures in theserver 7 and the service have occurred due to heat accumulation (stepS307), and the process proceeds to step S309. When the server 7 in whichthe heat accumulation has occurred does not match the server 7 in whichthe failure has occurred (NO in step S305), step S307 is skipped and theprocess proceeds to step S309 since the failures have not occurred dueto heat accumulation.

Then, the counting unit 110 (FIG. 10) of the display processingapparatus 300 counts the acquired occurrence status information of heataccumulation of the server 7 and the occurrence status information ofthe failure, which is determined to have occurred due to the heataccumulation, for a predetermined period of time (step S309).

In addition, although the process of steps S301 to S307 may beconstantly executed repeatedly at predetermined periods of time and stepS309 may be executed every predetermined period of time, explanation ofthe repeated process will not be repeated in this drawing.

Then, the identification unit 112 (FIG. 10) of the display processingapparatus 300 specifies the SLA rank of the service provided by theserver 7, which is determined that the failure has occurred, on thebasis of the server rank table 152 (FIG. 6( b)) with reference to theservice table storage unit 106 (FIG. 10) of the display processingapparatus 300. Then, the identification unit 112 of the displayprocessing apparatus 300 identifies the level of the effect of thefailure on the service from the reference value of the specified rank onthe basis of the failure level table 150 (FIG. 6( a)), and performsclassification regarding whether the identified level is a warning levelor an SLA violation level, for example (step S311).

Then, the display unit 308 (FIG. 10) of the display processing apparatus300 displays the counted heat accumulation occurrence status informationfor the predetermined period of time and the occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulationfor the predetermined period of time, according to the level of theeffect on the service classified by the identification unit 112 of thedisplay processing apparatus 300, and also displays the energyefficiency information of the server for the predetermined period oftime so as to be associated with the failure occurrence statusinformation (step S313).

As described above, according to the display processing system 1 of thepresent exemplary embodiment, the same effects as in the above-describedexemplary embodiments are obtained. In addition, the heat accumulationoccurrence situation and the situation of the occurrence of a failuredue to heat accumulation can be grasped and the relationship between theeffect of heat accumulation on the service and energy efficiency can bevisualized on the basis of such information.

Fourth Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 330 of the displayprocessing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.

The display processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment isdifferent from the display processing systems of the above-describedexemplary embodiments in that the degree of effect of heat accumulationfor a predetermined period of time on the operation of service iscalculated and presented so as to be associated with energy efficiency.

In the display processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment,a display processing apparatus further includes a degree-of-effectcalculation unit (not shown in the drawings) in addition to theconfiguration of the display processing apparatus 300 (FIG. 10).

The degree-of-effect calculation unit calculates the degree of effect ofheat accumulation for a predetermined period of time on the operation ofservice on the basis of the occurrence status information of heataccumulation of the server 7 (FIG. 1), the occurrence status informationof a failure due to heat accumulation, or the level of the effect ofheat accumulation on the operation of service, for the predeterminedperiod of time.

In addition, the display unit 308 (FIG. 10) displays the degree ofeffect on the operation of service and the energy efficiency informationof the server for the predetermined period of time so as to beassociated with each other.

Specifically, the degree of effect may be calculated by multiplying eachof the number of occurrences of heat accumulation, the number ofoccurrences of warning, and the number of occurrences of SLA violationby the weighting coefficient according to the prescribed rules. Thefollowing calculation equation (1) of the degree of effect is anexample, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition,the calculation expression or each coefficient may be set in advance ormay be set and changed when necessary through a setting screen (notshown in the drawings) operated by the operator.

$\begin{matrix}\lbrack {{Math}.\mspace{11mu} 1} \rbrack & \; \\{{{Degree}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{effect}} = {{{number}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{occurrences}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{heat}\mspace{14mu}{accumulation}\mspace{14mu} \times \; a} + {{number}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{occurrences}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{warning}\mspace{14mu} \times \; b} + {{number}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{occurrences}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{SLA}\mspace{14mu}{violation}\mspace{14mu} \times \; c}}} & {{equation}\mspace{14mu}(1)}\end{matrix}$

Here, a, b, and c are weighting coefficients. In the present exemplaryembodiment, it is assumed that a=0, b=3, and c=5, for example.

For example, when the number of occurrences of heat accumulation is 19,the number of occurrences of warning is 3, and the number of occurrencesof SLA violation is 1 as shown in FIG. 8, the degree of effect iscalculated as 14 by the following equation (2).19*0+3*3+1*5=14  equation (2)

The degree of effect calculated in this manner is used when the energyefficiency information and the degree of effect on the service aredisplayed on a screen so as to be associated with each other as will bedescribed later.

The operation of the display processing apparatus of the presentexemplary embodiment configured as described above has the same stepsS301 to S311 as in the flow chart of FIG. 11, which shows the operationof the display processing apparatus 300 of the above-described exemplaryembodiment, and further has the following steps S413 and S415 (not shownin the drawings) instead of step S313 subsequent to step S311.

That is, the degree-of-effect calculation unit of the display processingapparatus calculates the degree of effect of heat accumulation for apredetermined period of time on the operation of service on the basis ofthe occurrence status information of heat accumulation of the server 7(FIG. 1), the occurrence status information of a failure due to heataccumulation, or the level of the effect of heat accumulation on theservice, in the predetermined period of time (step S413).

Then, the display unit 308 (FIG. 10) of the display processing apparatus300 displays the degree of effect on the operation of service and theenergy efficiency information of the server for the predetermined periodof time so as to be associated with each other (step S415). In addition,the display unit 308 may display the counted heat accumulationoccurrence status information for the predetermined period of time andthe occurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred dueto heat accumulation, for the predetermined period of time, according tothe level of the effect on the service classified by the identificationunit 112 (FIG. 10) of the display processing apparatus 300.

As shown in FIG. 12( a), in the screen 330 that is displayed on thedisplay device 30 by the display unit 308, the calculated energyefficiency information (power consumption) for the server of thepredetermined period of time and the calculated degree of effect(service level) on the operation of service for the predetermined periodof time are plotted 331 so as to be respectively allocated to the axesof a two-dimensional matrix.

In addition, FIG. 12( a) shows a graph in February, and FIGS. 12( b) and12(c) show graphs in April. In the display processing apparatus 300 ofthe present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that a user interfacefor operation reception, such as a selection list (not shown in thedrawings) is provided so that the operator may select the date, week,month, year, period, and the like of the graph to be displayed. Inaddition, it is also preferable that a plurality of graphs designated bythe operator may be displayed side by side.

First and second auxiliary lines 343 and 342, which extend from thepredetermined reference value P0 of the energy efficiency information(power consumption) and the predetermined reference value L0 of thedegree of effect (service level), respectively, on the two-dimensionalmatrix so as to be perpendicular to the axes of the two-dimensionalmatrix, are shown on the screen 330, and the plot region of thetwo-dimensional matrix is divided into four parts. Each reference valuemay be set in advance or may be set and changed when necessary through asetting screen (not shown in the drawings) operated by the operator. Forexample, when the reference value is far from the practical violation,it may be appropriately modified.

In addition, the screen 330 has a first region 351 (dashed-dotted linein FIG. 12( c)), a second region 352 (dashed double-dotted line in FIG.12( c)), a third region 353 (dotted line in FIG. 12( c)), and a fourthregion 354 (solid line in FIG. 12( c)).

The first region 351 is a plot region when the calculated energyefficiency information (power consumption) is less than the referencevalue PO and the calculated degree of effect (service level) is lessthan the reference value L0.

The second region 352 is a plot region when and the calculated energyefficiency information (power consumption) are less than the referencevalue P0 and the calculated degree of effect (service level) is equal toor more than the reference value L0.

The third region 353 is a plot region when the calculated energyefficiency information (power consumption) is equal to or more than thereference value P0 and the calculated degree of effect (service level)is less than the reference value L0.

The fourth region 354 is a plot region when the calculated energyefficiency information (power consumption) is equal to or more than thereference value P0 and the calculated degree of effect (service level)is equal to or more than the reference value L0.

The display processing apparatus 300 of the present exemplary embodimentmay further include a reference determination unit (not shown in thedrawings) that determines whether or not a predetermined threshold valueof the energy efficiency information and the degree of effect satisfythe reference values determined in advance. In the present exemplaryembodiment, a normal state without a problem is when both the energyefficiency information and the degree of effect are smaller values thanthe reference values. In the two-dimensional matrix of the screen 330,the value on each axis is decreased toward the arrow direction toindicate a normal state.

On the screen 330, the background color of each region is changed anddisplayed on the basis of the determination result of the referencedetermination unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 12( c), when theenergy efficiency information (power consumption) and the degree ofeffect (service level) respectively exceed the reference values, thebackground colors of the second region 352 and the third region 353 arerespectively changed to pink. In addition, when the energy efficiencyinformation (power consumption) and the degree of effect (service level)do not respectively exceed the reference values, the background colorsof the second region 352 and the third region 353 are respectivelychanged to yellow-green.

In addition, when both the energy efficiency information (powerconsumption) and the degree of effect (service level) exceed thereference values, the background color of the fourth region 354 may bechanged to pink. In addition, when either one of the energy efficiencyinformation (power consumption) or the degree of effect (service level)exceeds the reference value, the background color of the fourth region354 may be changed to yellow-green. In addition, when both the energyefficiency information (power consumption) and the degree of effect(service level) are less than the reference values, the background colorof the fourth region 354 may be changed to yellow-green.

For example, in FIG. 12( a), both the energy efficiency information(power consumption) and the degree of effect (service level) exceed thereference values as indicated by the plot 331. Accordingly, thebackground colors of all of the second region 352, the third region 353,and the fourth region 354 are displayed in pink. In addition, as shownin FIG. 12( a), first and second auxiliary broken lines 332 and 333,which are drawn from the plot 331 so as to be perpendicular to the firstand second auxiliary lines 343 and 342 drawn from the reference value P0of the energy efficiency information (power consumption) and thereference value L0 of the degree of effect (service level),respectively, may be shown.

In addition, on the screen 330, images (in FIG. 12( a), a firstevaluation icon 362, a second evaluation icon 363, and a thirdevaluation icon 364) showing the determination results of the calculatedenergy efficiency information (power consumption) and the calculateddegree of effect (service level) are displayed in the second region 352,the third region 353, and the fourth region 354 on the basis of thedetermination result of the reference determination unit.

For example, these images (first, second and third evaluation icons) maydisplay the icon of NG mark (red circle) when neither the energyefficiency nor the degree of effect satisfies the reference.Alternatively, when either the energy efficiency or the degree of effectsatisfies the reference, the icon of attention mark (yellow triangle!)may be displayed, or the icon of OK mark (green circle) may bedisplayed. In this manner, it is possible to notify the user of thesituation so that the situation is intuitively understandable.

As shown in a plot 371 of FIG. 12( b), when the degree of effect(service level) satisfies the reference value L0, the background colorof the second region 352 is changed to yellow-green, and a firstevaluation icon 382 of OK mark indicating that the degree of effect(service level) satisfies the reference value L0 is further displayed inthe second region 352. In the example shown in FIG. 12( b), it ispossible to show a first auxiliary broken line 372 that is drawn fromthe plot 371 so as to be perpendicular to the first auxiliary line 343drawn from the reference value P0 of the energy efficiency information(power consumption).

In addition, since the energy efficiency (power consumption) does notsatisfy the reference value P0, the background color of the third region353 is changed to pink, and a second evaluation icon 383 of NG markindicating that the energy efficiency (power consumption) does notsatisfy the reference value P0 is further displayed in the third region353. In addition, the background color of the fourth region 354 ischanged to yellow, and a third evaluation icon 384 of attention mark ofa yellow triangle is displayed in the fourth region 354.

As described above, according to the display processing system 1 of thepresent exemplary embodiment, the same effects as in the above-describedexemplary embodiments are obtained, and the relationship between theenergy efficiency and the service level can be recognized at a glancethrough a screen.

While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to the drawings, these are only illustration ofthe present invention, and other various configurations may also beadopted.

For example, the display processing apparatus 300 (FIG. 10) of theabove-described exemplary embodiment may further include a recordingunit (not shown in the drawings) that records, as history, the energyefficiency information of the server 7 (FIG. 1) for a predeterminedperiod of time calculated by the calculation unit 204 (FIG. 10) and thedegree of effect on the operation of service for a predetermined periodof time calculated by the degree-of-effect calculation unit. Inaddition, as the recorded history for each predetermined period of time,the display unit 308 (FIG. 10) may display the transition of the energyefficiency information of the server 7 for a predetermined period oftime and the degree of effect on the operation of service for apredetermined period of time in time series.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the transition graph screenin the display processing system 1 of the present exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, on a screen 430, a bar graph 442 of the degree ofeffect of heat accumulation on the service, which is indicated by adegree-of-effect legend 432, and a line graph 444 of power consumptiondue to supercooling, which is indicated by a power consumption legend434, are displayed in time series for each month along the time axis440.

A selection list or the like may be provided on the screen 430, so thatthe operator can select a week unit, a year unit, or the like other thanthe month unit on the time axis 440 to change the screen display.

In the present exemplary embodiment, as energy efficiency, the amount ofpower consumed by supercooling is shown using a graph. However, it isalso possible to display other energy efficiency information calculatedby the above-described calculation unit 204 (FIG. 7 or 10). In addition,a selection list or the like may be provided so that the operator canselect it to change the screen display.

Graph types (a bar graph, a line graph, and the like) of the degree ofeffect and energy efficiency may be appropriately selected by theoperator. In addition, a list and the like may be displayed instead of agraph.

In addition, the display processing apparatus 300 of the presentexemplary embodiment may include a reception unit (not shown in thedrawings) that receives the time when measures against heat accumulationwere taken and a presentation unit (icon 460 in FIG. 13( b)) that showsthe time using a graph (a bar graph 452 and a line graph 454 of a screen450 in FIG. 13( b)) or a list.

According to this configuration, it is possible to visually check theeffect due to the measures taken. Therefore, if there is no effect, itis possible to take action, such as taking further measures.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the invention is not limitedto these exemplary embodiments. It will be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the claims.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2010-265496, filed on Nov. 29, 2010, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A display processing system comprising: adisplay unit that displays occurrence status information of a failure,which has occurred due to heat accumulation of a server that provides aservice, for a predetermined period of time, according to a level of aneffect of said failure on said service and also displays energyefficiency information of said server for said predetermined period oftime so as to be associated with said failure occurrence statusinformation; and a degree-of-effect calculation unit that calculates adegree of effect of heat accumulation for said predetermined period oftime on operation of said service on the basis of occurrence statusinformation of said heat accumulation of said server, said occurrencestatus information of said failure due to said heat accumulation, or alevel of an effect of heat accumulation on said service for saidpredetermined period of time, wherein said display unit displays saidenergy efficiency information of said server for said predeterminedperiod of time and said degree of effect on said operation of saidservice so as to be associated with each other.
 2. The displayprocessing system according to claim 1, further comprising: atemperature acquisition unit that acquires temperature informationmeasured by temperature sensors arranged around said servers; anefficiency calculation unit that calculates said energy efficiencyinformation of said server for said predetermined period of time on thebasis of the acquired temperature information; and a counting unit thatacquires and counts said occurrence status information of said failure,which has occurred due to heat accumulation of said server that providessaid service for said predetermined period of time, wherein said displayunit displays the counted occurrence status information of said failure,which has occurred due to heat accumulation of said server that providessaid service for said predetermined period of time, according to a levelof an effect of said failure on said service and also displays thecalculated energy efficiency information of said server for saidpredetermined period of time so as to be associated with said failureoccurrence status information.
 3. The display processing systemaccording to claim 2, wherein said efficiency calculation unitcalculates, as said energy efficiency information of said serverdisplayed on said display unit, total time of supercooling for which theacquired temperature is equal to or lower than a predeterminedtemperature in said predetermined period of time.
 4. The displayprocessing system according to claim 2, further comprising: a powerconsumption acquisition unit that acquires power consumption of saidserver, wherein said efficiency calculation unit calculates, as saidenergy efficiency information of said server displayed on said displayunit, a sum of the acquired power consumption of said server in saidpredetermined period of time.
 5. The display processing system accordingto claim 4, wherein said efficiency calculation unit calculates, as saidenergy efficiency information of said server displayed on said displayunit, an increasing or decreasing tendency of the calculated sum of saidpower consumption for said predetermined period of time, and saiddisplay unit presents the increasing or decreasing tendency of the sumof said power consumption for said predetermined period of time.
 6. Thedisplay processing system according to claim 5, wherein said efficiencycalculation unit calculates, as the increasing or decreasing tendency ofthe sum of said power consumption for said predetermined period of time,a difference between the sum of said power consumption for saidpredetermined period of time and a predetermined standard value or achange rate of the sum of said power consumption for said predeterminedperiod of time with respect to a predetermined standard value.
 7. Thedisplay processing system according to claim 6, further comprising: adetermination unit that determines whether or not said difference orsaid change rate calculated by said efficiency calculation unit iswithin an allowable range with respect to said standard value; and adetermination notification unit that notifies a user of a determinationresult of said determination unit.
 8. The display processing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said display unit displays the calculatedenergy efficiency information of said server for said predeterminedperiod of time and the calculated degree of effect on the operation ofsaid service for said predetermined period of time so as to be plottedin a state being respectively allocated to axes of a two-dimensionalmatrix.
 9. The display processing system according to claim 8, furthercomprising: a reference determination unit that determines whether ornot each of a predetermined threshold value of said energy efficiencyinformation and said degree of effect satisfies a reference valuedetermined in advance, wherein said display unit displays said referencevalue of said energy efficiency information and said reference value ofsaid degree of effect using lines extending on said two-dimensionalmatrix so as to be perpendicular to the axes of said two-dimensionalmatrix, divides a plot region of said two-dimensional matrix into fourparts to generate a first region as a plot region when the calculatedenergy efficiency information is less than said reference value and thecalculated degree of effect is less than said reference value, a secondregion as a plot region when the calculated energy efficiencyinformation is less than said reference value and the calculated degreeof effect is equal to or more than said reference value, a third regionas a plot region when the calculated energy efficiency information isequal to or more than said reference value and the calculated degree ofeffect is less than said reference value, and a fourth region as a plotregion when the calculated energy efficiency information is equal to ormore than said reference value and the calculated degree of effect isequal to or more than said reference value, and changes and displays abackground color of each region on the basis of a determination resultof said reference determination unit.
 10. The display processing systemaccording to claim 9, wherein said display unit displays an image, whichshows said determination result of the calculated energy efficiencyinformation or the calculated degree of effect, in each of said second,third, and fourth regions on the basis of determination result of saidreference determination unit.
 11. The display processing systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a recording unit that recordssaid energy efficiency information of said server for said predeterminedperiod of time and said degree of effect on the operation of saidservice for said predetermined period of time as history, wherein, asthe recorded history for each predetermined period, said display unitdisplays a transition of said energy efficiency information of saidserver for said predetermined period of time and said degree of effecton the operation of said service for said predetermined period of timein time series.
 12. The display processing system according to claim 2,further comprising: a detection unit that detects occurrence of saidheat accumulation on the basis of the acquired temperature information;a specification unit that specifies said server in which the detectedheat accumulation has occurred; a heat accumulation determination unitthat determines that said failure in said server and said service hasoccurred due to said heat accumulation when said server specified bysaid specification unit matches said server in which said failure basedon said failure occurrence status information acquired by said countingunit has occurred; and an identification unit that identifies andclassifies said occurrence status information of said failure determinedto have occurred due to said heat accumulation according to a level ofan effect of said failure on said service provided by said serverdetermined that said failure has occurred, wherein said counting unitcounts the acquired occurrence status information of said heataccumulation of said server for said predetermined period of time, andsaid display unit displays the counted occurrence status information ofsaid heat accumulation for said predetermined period of time and thecounted occurrence status information of said failure, which hasoccurred due to said heat accumulation of said server that provides saidservice for said predetermined period of time, according to a level ofan effect of said failure on said service and also displays thecalculated energy efficiency information of said server for saidpredetermined period of time so as to be associated with said failureoccurrence status information.
 13. The display processing systemaccording to claim 3, further comprising: a power consumptionacquisition unit that acquires power consumption of said server, whereinsaid efficiency calculation unit calculates, as said energy efficiencyinformation of said server displayed on said display unit, a sum of theacquired power consumption of said server in said predetermined periodof time.
 14. A display processing method comprising: displaying, by aprocessing apparatus connected to a display device, occurrence statusinformation of a failure, which has occurred due to heat accumulation ofa server that provides a service, for a predetermined period of time, onsaid display device according to a level of an effect of said failure onsaid service and also displaying energy efficiency information of saidserver for said predetermined period of time on said display device soas to be associated with said failure occurrence status information,calculating a degree of effect of heat accumulation for saidpredetermined period of time on operation of said service on the basisof occurrence status information of said heat accumulation of saidserver, said occurrence status information of said failure due to saidheat accumulation, or a level of an effect of heat accumulation on saidservice for said predetermined period of time, and displaying saidenergy efficiency information of said server for said predeterminedperiod of time and said degree of effect on said operation of saidservice so as to be associated with each other.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium with an executable program storedthereon, wherein the program instructs a computer connected to a displaydevice to execute: a procedure for displaying, on a display device,occurrence status information of a failure, which has occurred due toheat accumulation of a server that provides a service, for apredetermined period of time, according to a level of an effect of saidfailure on said service and also displaying energy efficiencyinformation of said server for the predetermined period of time so as tobe associated with said failure occurrence status information, and aprocedure for: calculating a degree of effect of heat accumulation forsaid predetermined period of time on operation of said service on thebasis of occurrence status information of said heat accumulation of saidserver, said occurrence status information of said failure due to saidheat accumulation, or a level of an effect of heat accumulation on saidservice for said predetermined period of time, and displaying saidenergy efficiency information of said server for said predeterminedperiod of time and said degree of effect on said operation of saidservice so as to be associated with each other.